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N. PETERS, PHOTO-LTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D CV iiltiwl 'lteres' me cadaALFRED E. COOKE. OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters .Patent No. 92,270, lated July/,6, 1869.

BRICK-MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

. full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, forming-part of this specification, and in which-Figure l represents a partly sectional longitudinal elevation of abrick-machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2, a sectional plan, taken mainly as indiy cated by the linex .cin fig. l.

Figure 3 is a sectional transverse elevation, taken chiefly as denotedby the line y y in iig. 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of certain mechanism for operating thefeed-table or tables.

Figure 5, a face view of certain mechanism for operating the upperfollowersl or plungeyrs.

Figure G, a sectional elevation of the 'crushing or grinding-devices,with attachments for preventing injury or breakage, and stopping thefeed ofthe ground clay in case of an obstacle passing in between thegrinding-rolls.

Figure 7, a broken plan view of the toothed roll and screen-back orconcave for pulverzing the ground clay.

Similar' letters of reference indicate corresponding parts'thronghout'the several figures.`

My invention embraces certain novel combinations pf mechanism forgrinding, pulverzing, screening, feeding, and pressing the clay intobricks, and delivering the same, as madehfi'onrtheymachine, whereby manyadvantages are secured, and the moulds, which are arranged inindependent sets, have the devices that operate in connection with them,so disposed and actuated as to give to the machine a double character,with the pressuredivided as regards the heaviest strain of the plungersin the different sets of moulds, so that there is little or no lostmotion, and the draughtupon the driving-power equalized, as it were,throughout the action of the machine, in keeping up a continuousdischarge of brick from opposite sides alternately.

Referring to the accompanying drawing- 4A B represent grinding orcrushing-rolls, down between which the clay is thrown to be prepared forafter-treatment,as hereinafter described, in its way to the moulds.

The lower one, B, of these rolls is hung in stationary bearings,y whilethe upper one, A, has its bearings in a hanger, C, pivoted as at o, soas to admit of an up-and-down motion of the upper roll relatively to thelower one.

To grind coarse or'flne, as required, said upper roll may have a fixedadjustment given it, so far as regards its running proximity to thelower one, by means of screws, b, arranged to support the for-wardportion of the hanger C, but this adjustment in noways restricts theupper roll from rising, so that on any hard foreign matter Vbeingintroduced with the clay, the upper roll will lift to permit of itpassing, and, by means of hinged props, I), att-ached to the hanger,will remain lifted till said props are purposely tripped, which is notdone until the obstacle is removed.

Furthermore, the two rolls are so geared together by pinions, c d, andthe elevator E, which carries 01T the groundfclay, driven by a pulley,e, on the shaft of .the lower roll, as that, on the hanger C being, and

remaining lifted, as represented in tig. 6, the feed of the clay isstopped, Ywhich obviates injury or breakage from the obstacle passedthrough the rolls being carried or worked up to the pulverizer, or otherdevices subsequently operating on the clay, inasmuch as it will be theduty of the attendant not to trip the props D, and so pnt in gear thepinions cd, and thereby restait the feed, until the obstacle is removed.

During this suspension of action, the upper roll A, which is driventhrough pulleys e f, and connecting'- band from or by a main shaft, F,may continue running,'so that there is no stoppage of the prime-mover,and so soon as the props D are tripped, the workmis resumed.

The ground or broken clay, as it is raised bythe elevator E, which maybe an ordinary endless belt or chain of buckets, is passed by saiddevice tothe pul-1 verizer that is composed of a rotating toothed roll,G, acting in concert with a concave, 'IL-which latter is -rnade up of ascreen or wire hack, g, and perforated parallel-face ribs, h, arrangedtransversely to the wires, and between whichlthe teeth of the roll Gwork, said teeth and peribrations in the ri-bsbeing irregularlydisposed, to eifect a more perfect pulverizing-.action and working ofthe clay to and fro in afcrosswisecourse, and various directions.

Passing from thepnl-verizer, the clay is delivered on to a screenseparator, I, which has areciprocating motion given it by means of arevolving crank and link-rod,i, or' otherwise, and which servesto'iinely sift the pulveiized clay, or separate foreign mattertherefrom, the waste runningof by a chute, K, from the surface of thescreen, while the pulverized clay,

designed to be worked, passes down into a trough, J, in which isarranged a screw-conveyer, K, that, as it is rotated, operates to travelthe clay to and over outlets l l', which communicate or open intohoppers, L L, that serve to supply double feed-tables, N N.

'Ihese feed-tables are constructed with chargers or chambers, u n and oo', which, as said tables are reciprocated crosswise of the machine,convey charges of clay alternately to double sets of moulds, o o" andss' To insure an equal supply of clay` to the hopper L L, it is desirableto provide the first outlet, l, in th trough, J, with aregulating-slide, O, adjustable, by

rack and pinion, or otherwise, for contracting the area of said outletrelatively to the second outlet, l', to make the discharge no greaterthrough the first outlet, over which the body of clay has to pass toreach the second, than through the latter outlet.

The several chargers, n n. and o o', have loose sleeves, tt', fittingover their lower ends, and resting on the mould-beds, P P, which reducefriction by keeping up a close supply of' clay to the mouldswithoutcontact of the reciprocating feed-tables with or on the mouldbeds.

These feed-tables, N N l, do not reciprocate in a continuous manner, butat intervals, which peculiarity of action, the top and bottom followers,Q Q' and R R', also have, and thel several actions are so arranged asthat the final pressure of the clay in the moulds never takes place-inmore than one pair or set of moulds, r or fr', and s or s', at the sametime, whereby the machine is relieved f'rom excessively heavy j erks orstrains, and the draught on the driving-power, is more equalized,and'lost motion avoided. Nevertheless, almosta continuous delivery ofbrick is effected on opposite sides ofthe machine, and from oppositeends of the respective mould-beds alternately.

It will be observed that the reciprocating feed-tables, N N not onlyrequire to pause at intervals for the clay to fall into their chargers,n n and o o', successively, as regards each other, in the samefeed-table, as well as regards the chargers in the one table relativelyt-o the charger in the other table, but that they require to pause alsoat correspondingly relative intervals to effect delivery of the clayfrom their chargers into the moulds, it alw. ys being understood thatthe one charger, n, of the feed-table N, supplies the one set of mouldsfr, the other charger, wt', the other set of moulds, r', and the onecharger, o, of the feed-table N', supplies the moulds s, and the othercharger, o', the moulds s.

Q Ql are the upper followers to the moulds, and R R1 the lower followersthereto.

The action of the follower-sf, relatively to their respective moulds,and movement of each feed-table, in relation to the same, are asfollows:

When the one charger', ofthe one feed-table., is over the set or pair ofmoulds it serves to supply, thelower follower of said moulds dropswithin the latter to open the moulds for reception ofthe clay from thecharger, after which the feed-table, that remained stationary while theclay dropped into the moulds, reeedes with its charger from over thelatter, and the upper follower comes down and slightly presses the clayin the moulds, and subsequently the lower follower rises, and pressesfrom below,rthe upper follower continuingalso to press. The bottomfollower then remains sta-tionary, and the upper follower rises slowlyto the top surface of the moulds, after which, both top andA bottomfollowers rise in concert, the bottom one dischargingthe bricks from themoulds. The bricks thus delivered from the moulds are afterwards pushedorswept off on to an off-bearin g board, at eitherend ofthe mouldbed, bythe next advance-stroke ofthe feed-table over said moulds, through ahinged leaf, or its equivalent, attached to either end of thefeed-table, as hereinafter more fully described.

Either feed-table, N or N, thus operates in succession at opposite endsofthe mould-bed, in connection with the followes pertaining to themoulds thereof, the one fable, and followers of the mould-bed it belongsto.l moving intermediately of the other table and followers, and bothfeed-fables pausing at suitable intervals to receive and deliver clayfrom their chargers, as hereinbefore referred to.

To prevent the untimely escape of clay from the hoppers as the chargersofthe reciprocating feed-tables pass from under them, either feed-table,N or N is provided with hinged leaves, S S', at its ends, which leaves,when lying flat or straightened ont, serve as temporary partial bottomsto the Yhopper they work, or are brought under by the motion ofthefeed-table, but which leaves, as they approach the moulds in thereciprocating action ofthe table, drop to sweep off the bricks as theyare delivered from the moulds. change in the direction opposition of theleaves may be effected in a timely manner, by causing pins, n, on them,to travel4 over tracks, c, having inclined ends. Instead-of these-hinged leaves, slides working under the bottom of the hoppers may besubstituted.

- T 'l" are the olfbearing boards at opposite ends of the mouldbeds.Toinsure a flush orlevel position for these boards with the top surfacesof the mould-beds, irrespective to a considerable extent of thethickness or irregularities in said boards, the same are fitted looselywithin recesses in the mould-beds, with freedom of' play in an upwarddirection, so that as the bottom followers rise, or complete theirupward stroke, pins z projecting from them, or the blocks which carrysaid fiillowers,'come up and bear under c1oss-beams'-ww, provided withvertical end-clamps, or clamping-rods :c 11:', and pinoli or hold saidboards between the clamps and tops of the recesses in which the boardsflt,.and as the beams 'w w rock on .the pins z, as centres of mot-ion,the boards readily adjust themselves te the level of' the mould-beds, sothat a clear and level" sur- -face for delivery ofthe bricks from offthe mould-beds is secured to them.

The feed-tables N N', and upper and lower followers Q Ql and R R', haveVtheir necessary movements, as hereinbefbre referred to, communicated tothem substantially as follows:

A bevel-pinion, A2, on the 'main shaft F, is made to gear with abevel-pinion, B", hung loose on a shaft, G, which latter carries thecams for working the followers on the one side of the machine, acorresponding shaft, C, arranged on the other side of the machine,carrying the cams for working the followers on that side. These shaftsG2 O3 are drivenby means of a pinion, D2, fast to the loose bevel-pinionB2, and gearing into or with a spur-wheel, E2, which is fast on acountershaft, F2, that carries a pinion, G, for operating, throughspur-wheels H2 H3, said shafts 0110i. The several cams on these shaftsO2 C", which will be presently more minutely described, are so set asthat the at different periods, to vary or divide the final squeeze andaction of the followers on the clay in the several moulds, ashereinbefore referred to.

The feed-tables N N have their several and sepal ratehereinbefore-described motions given them by and gearing withspur-wheels or pinions J2 J, the

into racks c 6*, on either Side of',and connected with each feed-table.Each rocking-segment I2 or I3 has its timely mot-ions and intervals ofrest given it by means of cam-wheels K2 K2 and K3 K3, arranged on theends of the shafts C O, and operating n the segments, through studs 1Fdt, on their faces, to secure to the feed-tables their respectivemotions land pauses or intervals of rest, as hereinbefore described, theconcentric portions of' the cam-wheels KLe Kz and K3 K3 giving thenecessary stoppages, while the grooved portions e2 e2 of' said wheelssecure to the feed-tables their necessary and timely motions, the onecam-wheel of either pair taking up in succession, through its groove, bygear with its respective stud di, the action on its segment.

The upper and lower followers of or to each set of moulds are alloperated from the. two shafts O O, through cams arranged thereon, and aseach setof cams and devices connected therewith for operating followersto each set of moulds are operated by them` means of toothed segments II3, pivoted as at a. w, t

separate shafts of which carry pinions btb, that gear the upper andlower followers to one set of moulds, is or are similar to thoseconnected with either of the other set of moulds-the relative set of thecams only being different, to vary the time of action of the differentsets of followers, hereinbcfore referred to-it will suce to describeeither one set of followers, and devices operating the same, as appliedto one set of moulds. Thus, either lower follower has connected with ita block or table which carries it, under control by a key, fi, toprovide against wear, and to secure a proper adjustment of the followerwithin the mould, an anti-friction roller, g2, under and against which acam, L2, on the shaft C" or C3 works, to lift and allow of said lowerfollower dropping at the proper time.

To regulate the stroke of each lower follower within the mould ormoulds, for gauging the depth of the moulds open for reception of clay,by limit-ing the play of the followers therein to any desired dist-ancefrom the tops of the moulds, each lower follower, or block ortablevcarrying it, has its depth of drop controlled by and is made torest upon a lever, M2, which is adjustable by a screw-rod, N?, and nutO2.

Each upper follower, which is suitably' guided by ways formed in theupright portions ofthe frame, has connected with it, under provision foradj ustment,.side rods hi h2, which are attached to yokes Pz P2, thatare provided with upper and lower anti-friction rollers i2 t, againstwhich cams Q2 Q?, carried by the shaft Cl or C, are made to act, to givethe necessary strokes and pausing actions to the upper follower.

The upper rollers in the yokes P2 P2 should be adjustable by wedges orkeys k, as well as the yokes themselves, by nuts to the side-rods h2 toprovide for different thicknesses of brick, regulation of the density ofwhich, also, by the proper adjustmellt of the two followers acting inconcert on opposite sides of the clay in the moulds, is provided for.

It isdesirable, in order to reduce friction and secure a guiding actionto the feed-tables N N1, and rocking segments I2 13, that the pinionsoperating said devices should be constructed with annular V-shapedprojections arranged t-o lit V-grooves in the racks or rack portions ofsaid feed-tables and segments.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. The grinding-rolls A and B, made adjustable in relation to eachother, andautomatic as regards the stoppage of the feed on an obstaclepassing` in between them, by means of the rising and falling hangers O Oto the one roll, and falling stops or props D D, substanti-ally asspecified.

2. The combination of the toothed pulverizing-roll G with thescreen-back and ribbed concave H, constructed essentiallyas shown anddescribed.

3. The reciprocating screen separator' I, in combination with thetoothed pnlverizing-roll G and its con cave H, constructed substantiallyas specified.

4. The combination of the loose sleeves t i, with the chargers a n or oo of the feed-table or tables N N', for operation on or over the face ofthe mould-bed, substantially as described.

5. lhe hinged leaves SS', attached to the ends of either feed-table NN', and arranged to rise and fall during the reciprocating action ofsaid table or tables, essentially as and for the purpose or purposesvherein set forth.

6. The combination of the cam-wheels K2 K2 or KS K, and rocking segmentor segments I2 Il?, with pinions and racks for operation of thefeed-table or tables, substantially as described. i.

7. The combination, with the lower followers R or R', of the adj nstablelevers M2, for gauging the depth of the moulds open for reception ofclay, essentially as herein set forth.

8. The combination, with the lower followers R R', or pins orprojections 5, carried by the blocks or tables thereof, of the beams ww, and clamps c c, for adjustment and grip of the off-bearing boards 'lT, substantially as specified. A v

9. A brickfmachine, made up of intermittently-reciprocating feed-tables,provided with sleeves t, mouldbeds with moulds therein, and upper andlower followers, all arranged, and the several working-parts beingoperatedsubstantially as specified.

' 'ALFRED E. COOKE.

Witnesses .M. J. BYRNE,

Tuos. P. RowLETT.

